Welcome! We would like to introduce you to some of our important policies and procedures. Please take a few minutes to read this information and feel free to ask any questions.


STATEMENT OF CONFIDENTIALITY:

Professional ethics and California State Law specify that communications to therapists (Psychologists, Marriage, Family and Child Counselors, Social Workers, Psychiatrists. etc.) are privileged and confidential and cannot be released or shared without the written permission of the patient.

There are, however, a few situations wherein the law requires that therapists report certain information. Notably, in situations where abuse of a minor child or an elderly person is suspected or may be occurring, the therapist is required to notify the local law enforcement agency and county protective agency. Therapists are also required by law to warn an individual and the police, of seriously threatened harm to that individual that is disclosed during the course of therapy. In addition, confidentiality may be broken if information is revealed that indicates that a client may cause harm to him/herself.

In addition, should an account become past due such that the collection process is initiated, then during such a process a patient’s right to privacy is curtailed to the extent necessary for collection.


BASIC FEE POLICY:

Some insurance policies may provide benefits for counseling, thus reducing the direct cost to you. If requested, Dr. Rappaport will present you with a monthly statement that you may use for insurance billing purposes. This statement will include all information needed to submit to your insurance company, including diagnosis and CPT codes. It is important to understand that all financial agreements are between you and Dr. Rappaport, not between Dr. Rappaport and your insurance company. You are ultimately responsible for your bill.

If there is a balance on your account, you will receive a monthly statement reflecting that balance. Our office maintains complete financial records of all charges and payments, and this information is available to you upon request. Your monthly statement will indicate only current charges and any outstanding balance on your account. It is essential that you pay the amount agreed upon by you and Dr. Rappaport at each session, thereby keeping your account current.

In the event that collection becomes necessary, all reasonable collection expenses, including collection agency and/or fees, will be charged to the patient’s account.

A $35.00 fee will be charged for a bounced check. Payment in full, including this charge is expected within 5 days of notification or patient will be charged three times the actual amount of the check, as allowed by law.


STANDARD CHARGES:

Payment is expected at the time of service. We do not bill patient’s insurance directly.

For your convenience, we accept VISA, MASTERCARD and DISCOVER. You may set up an automatic payment for sessions by completing the Credit Card Authorization Form.

Our standard fee for an initial 45 minute evaluation is currently $225

Our standard fee for an individual 45 minute session is currently $185

Extended sessions (those lasting beyond 45 minutes) will be billed at the hourly rate of $250.

Our fee for a comprehensive ADHD Evaluation with Executive Functioning and Sensory Processing Assessments is $1495.
An evaluation includes the following: Clinical interview, testing, ADHD self report forms, parent and teacher behavior rating scales, physician and teacher consult (for children), family/friend rating scales (adult), Sensory Profile, Executive Functioning assessment, written report, treatment recommendations and feedback session. Payment is charged in full at the first session.

Our fee for a comprehensive ADHD Evaluation only is $1150 and includes all of the above with the exception of Executive Functioning and Sensory Processing.

Consultations with other treating professionals such as teachers, physicians and other therapists will be billed at our usual hourly rate of $250. Consultations to schools requiring travel, including conferences, IEP/504 meetings and other services are not included in the above fees, and will be billed separately, including travel time.

Sessions 1 and 2 of the CBIT series are 75 minutes long, and are billed at $300 each session; sessions 3 through 8 are 45 minutes long and are billed at $195 each session.

Legal fees, including but not limited to review of records, interviews, conferences with attorneys or others, letters or reports written, depositions and court testimony are subject to a separate fee schedule and payment is to be arranged prior to services being provided. Fee schedule provided upon request.

Telephone conversations that are brief and are used to transmit logistical information, schedule appointments, etc., are not subject to charges. More lengthy conversations, wherein advice is sought or therapeutic issues are discussed, may be billed at a percentage of the normal fee, based on the amount of time needed, with a minimum increment of 15 minutes. Please note that insurance companies usually do not pay for telephone consultations and you will be responsible for any charges not covered.

Missed Appointments or Late Cancellations are costly to the therapist and deny other individuals the opportunity to use that time. Unless a true emergency exists, we require that all cancellations be made at least 24 hours in advance. If you miss an appointment, or cancellations are not made at least 24 hours in advance, you will be charged for that session in full. Please be aware that insurance companies do not pay for missed sessions.


PROCEDURE FOR EMERGENCIES:

For life threatening emergencies, call 911. Dr. Rappaport maintains a 24 hour answering system, and when a true emergency arises outside of normal business hours, she can be paged. In such an event, please call (858) 481-2188, press#1, and leave a message. Dr. Rappaport will be paged with your message and get back to you at her earliest convenience.

It is important to understand that we are not an emergency or crisis clinic, and there may be a time when Dr. Rappaport is not readily available, particularly during office hours when she is seeing other patients. If this happens, and you are in need of immediate support, you are urged to contact the crisis team (a 24-hour hotline) at 1-800 479-3339, 911, or your local hospital emergency room.